I am pleased to welcome you to the BRC Label showcase interview, your participation is greatly appreciated. We thank you for the mix and the time you have invested in preparing for everything that BRC requested.
What made you create this label? Why? What is the idea and inspiration behind it?
Hey everyone :) I’m Sachin & I’m the General Manager/A&R of Maldesoule, Mango Alley’s sister label. Glad to be here & meet you! Alex, Mango Alley’s Founder & General Manager, reached out to me early last year to do a remix for his label. That initial project led to us working together on a lot more, & a few months later, Alex approached me to help him set up Mango Alley’s sister label, a platform dedicated to championing a more diverse spectrum of artists & music. When my friend Yash & I set up Soule Studios back in 2020, we wanted to eventually become an inclusive community & label that was focused on good music regardless of the genre. That’s how we would describe our listening tastes, so it only made sense to eventually be a platform where artists could share distinct creations & ideas. When I shared this vision & more of what we were working on to support it with Alex, setting up Maldesoule was a natural progression for both our visions, & I couldn’t be more grateful to be working with & learning from him. :)
How long had the idea of a label been on your minds before its official launch? What were the challenges running up to its launch?
Alex & I had similar visions of setting up a more inclusive avenue for good music, I think it’s something we have wanted to do since the time each of us started working in the industry. Once we agreed to go for it, it took a few months of planning & brainstorming before we were ready to launch in February 2022. The experience & open-mindedness of Alex made the whole process an enjoyable learning experience rather than a challenge. It’s so much more easier to create/set up something with another individual when both sides are open to considering multiple ideas & welcome the creative challenge. Took us a while to finalise the name though. ;)
What is the inspiration behind the logo and artwork?
As Mango Alley’s sister label, we wanted to keep the general look & feel as similar as possible. Maldesoule’s musical identity is slightly different to Mango Alley’s and we wanted to reflect the same in our logo. We teamed up with my close friend & graphic designer Aniruddha Vijay (https://bykv.work/) who was inspired by the brush stroke used in Ensō, the Japanese word for zen, & came up with a stunning & apt design we loved! With the artworks, we aim to keep things simple & clean whilst helping visually convey the general mood behind every release.
What genre of music the label hosts and what do you look for specifically in a track that gives you that sense of belonging in a track to release it on your platform?
Maldesoule is open to most genres within electronic music. We focus more on the mood or emotional effectiveness of the music rather than its genre. We look for a distinct identity within music that’s capable of connecting with our comprehensive tastes, as well as a quality production. While we have released ambient, downtempo, deep, chill & melodic electronica & house so far, we would be happy to release any genre on our platform as long as it’s a good, well-written & considerate piece of music. That being said, I doubt we’ll release any dubstep, but who knows hahah. :)
In terms of demos, how do you accept, review and reject from all the thousands you receive? What are the challenges in sifting through the boatload of demos you receive for releases and the communication you maintain with aspirants?
Alex has written a really informative & useful post about this very topic: https://www.facebook.com/themangomusic/posts/3571697082852171 We consider every demo sent to us, and for a demo to be signed to Maldesoule, both Alex & I have to be 100% sure about it. Every demo (with certain exceptions, detailed in Alex’s post) will be responded to with feedback as well, even if it’s a no from us, as we love sharing what we know with aspiring artists & hopefully help them grow. We personally like to keep the communication with any artist professional, but in a more relaxed & friendly manner.
How many VA and compilations do you release in a year and what kind of tracks you choose? What kind of artists do you select for the VA? Basically what purpose does a VA serve to a label?
This is Maldesoule’s first year & so far we have released our introductory VA, Maldesoule 001 back in February. I believe VA’s are a great opportunity for us to connect with & showcase a wider range of artists & music, as well as a good indicator of the direction in which our tastes are progressing. Our core principles while selecting artists & music remain the same as detailed above, but while album or EP releases may be more tailored towards a particular genre or sound, VA’s will be more diverse. :)
Which one has been a highlight release and why?
I would say all our releases are highlights, since we’ve offered something different & unique with every one of them. Recently, KAMADEV’s Louvre / Mia Dia EP stands out, alongside Richard Aardenburg’s masterclass of an ambient album, LAZY MINT FIELDS. Both these releases were carefully produced & well thought out pieces of brilliant music, & we couldn’t be more honoured or delighted to represent them!
What do you expect from new talent when you sign them? What makes you reject them from releasing on your label?
The most important aspect for us is the music itself. While there are other factors we consider, the bare minimum requirement is that we love the music. We expect good quality production, and will reject music if we find lack of care in how a track’s been produced, indicators of which could be unprocessed/stock samples, midi or sounds, among others. As long as the music is good & the artist is willing to learn & grow more, we would be more than happy to sign or help nurture any new artist.
From your country, which other label is pushing the same music as you are and how do you think everyone is helping push the local producers?
I’d like to echo Alex here & say I honestly believe we’re in a league of our own, as other labels doing their own thing. There are a lot of labels we admire, but I’d like to think each of us have our own niche which is definitely something we aim for. We do our bit to help promote artists regardless of where they are from, & keep an ear out for good music & talent regardless of their social media numbers or lack thereof. I think that’s the mentality that will help push the entire music industry forward, & something every label should focus on a little more.
What kind of support do you look for from artists and other parties in promoting your music worldwide? What are the challenges in promoting music to corners of the world where you may not be as popular as in your home country.
We believe that good music & consistent efforts to improve, grow & promote your music will eventually lead you to more & more people connecting with your work. It’s a nice little cycle of good consistent effort leading to more opportunities & connections & so on. All we hope is that our artists echo the same values while promoting their work, & slowly but surely we will be able to reach & connect with people the world over.
Thank you so much for having me :) Enjoy the guest mix everyone, & do feel free to reach out & connect anytime!
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